Richard Wagner

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Das Rheingold
Terje Stensvold, Dietrich Volle, Richard Cox, Kurt Streit, Jochen Schmeckenbecher, Hans-Jürgen Lazar, Alfred Reiter, Magnus Baldvinsson, Martina Dike, Barbara Zechmeister, Meredith Arwady, Britta Stallmeister, Jenny Carlstedt, Katharina Magiera
Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester
Sebastian Weigle, conductor

Since 1945, there only two complete Ring cycles have been performed at the Frankfurt Opera; the third is now coming into being. The yardstick for comparison, however, is incredibly high, because in Frankfurter’s Ring history there is not only the Wernicke/Cambreling series from 1994/95, which was originally from Brussels, but also the legendary Berghaus/Gielen production from 1985.
Vera Nemirova is producing the new Frankfurt Ring, which will continue with Walküre (premiere: October 31, 2010).
After the Rheingold premiere, the Frankfurter Rundschau said: “If the Frankfurt Opera can continue to provide this level of interpretory, orchestral and vocal achievement in its Ring, then audiences are really in for an absolutely remarkable treat.”
In the booklet of this recording of Rheingold, GMD Sebastian Weigle himself describes his path to the Ring: “The Frankfurt Ring begins; it is my first complete Ring cycle as a conductor. This is a landmark for any conductor. Luckily, I have had a lot of time to prepare for it – and due to my musical beginnings as a horn player, I was able to approach the score from various perspectives: as an orchestral musician, an assistant and now as the musical director.”
With Terje Stensvold in the role of Wotan, the production has one of the world’s most experienced performers of this character. In other roles, young singers from the Frankfurt Opera’s own ensemble surprise with their fresh approach and independent interpretations.